Sex care brand Dame wants to derail sexism

#DerailSexism, Dame

New York – The brand is suing the New York subway for double standards when it comes to advertising sex products for women.

In July 2018, New York's MTA transport system initially approved Dame’s request to run an ad campaign on the subway. However, once the campaign was created, the transport body rejected the images on the grounds that it prevents sexually orientated businesses from advertising. ‘This made us wonder: why are pharmaceutical and supplement companies like Hims, Hers and Welleco allowed to advertise on the subway?’ reads a statement from Dame.

In response, the brand created consumer-facing campaign #DerailSexism to encourage customers to support the legal action it is taking against the MTA. To back the advertisement of female sex care products, Dame is asking individuals to share the images of the banned ads and tag the MTA to ensure the images receive the exposure they missed out on.

Cannes Lions 2019: Do Black is a carbon-limiting credit card

Sweden – Created by fintech company Doconomy, the card tracks users’ spending and the resulting carbon footprint of their purchasing, with the aim of reducing unnecessary overspending.

Supported by a smartphone app, the Do Black card logs each time a purchase is made. If a user outspends his or her carbon limit – calculated in accordance with the amount it will take each person to reduce their carbon emissions 50% by 2030 – it will automatically deny the transaction, with a phone-based alert telling them they’ve reached their carbon limit.

‘We all need to come to terms with the urgency of the situation and rapidly move towards more responsible consumption. With Do Black there are no more excuses,’ says Nathalie Green, CEO of Doconomy. ‘Do will enable people to do their part to contribute to the UN’s carbon reduction goals of 2030 and onwards.’

While still a pilot project, Do Black was awarded the Grand Prix for Creative eCommerce at Cannes Lions, a two-year-old category that praised the concept for being a ‘well-researched and beautifully simple idea’. For more from Cannes Lions 2019, read our dedicated News round-up.

Pentland Brands’ app lets workers report ethical trade issues

London, UK – The sports apparel company has created Everyone’s Business, an app that allows people across its supply chain to report ethical trade issues.

With the aim of maintaining labour standards and human rights across its supply chain, Pentland Brands – which owns labels including Speedo, Berghaus and Ellesse – has built the app to educate and engage workers with the nuances of modern slavery to ensure it is not taking place.

The phone-based app allows those in Pentland’s supply chain to capture observations and relay any concerns to the company’s in-house corporate responsibility team.

‘What’s unique about Everyone’s Business is that it facilitates a two-way conversation between us and our supply chains,’ says Sara Brennan, Pentland Brands head of corporate responsibility. ‘It allows our colleagues to speak up if they have concerns, in a consistent way that’s recordable and transparent.’

In our interview with Volcom, we reveal how apparel brands are making their supply chains not only more transparent but beneficial to all involved.

Pentland Brands, UK

Cannes Lions 2019: A smart billboard offering free pet health advice

Street-Vet billboard by Purina and McCann Paris

Paris – Pet food company Purina is testing the health of dogs by allowing them to do what they do best – urinate on the base of its billboards.

In a bid to raise awareness of the importance of pet health check-ups, the brand, in partnership with McCann Paris, created Street-Vet digital billboards that release pheromones into the air, encouraging dogs to urinate on them. Each dog's urine is collected in a sterile container beneath the billboard, before being tested by a chemical reagent to detect whether the dog has diabetes, kidney problems, urinary infections or cholesterol issues.

With results displayed in less than 30 seconds, Street-Vet then recommends products from Purina's ProPlan health-focused pet food. Owners are also able to download test results to their phone to make a veterinary appointment for further advice.

Stat: Younger generations turn their noses up at deodorant

According to recent data from YouGov, Generation Z and Millennial consumers are actively choosing not to wear deodorant or antiperspirant.

About 40% of Generation Z, described by YouGov as 18–24-year-olds, haven’t applied either product in the past month, while almost a third (31%) of Millennials aged 25–34 haven’t used deodorant in the same period. As a result, YouGov reports that ‘a sizeable portion of Millennials and Generation Zers aren’t wearing deodorant or antiperspirant’.

It’s not that personal hygiene is slipping, however. According to YouGov, many are washing their hair every day, meaning other factors could be at play. While no clear reasons for eschewing deodorant are cited, Generation Z and Millennials have become more conscious of what they’re applying to their skin, with natural deodorant on the rise, as well as younger people embracing under-arm hair in a bid to normalise its presence.

Thought-starter: Can recipes stimulate a positive future for food?

Polina Bachlakova is the editor of Future Food Today, the first cookbook from Space10, Ikea’s research and design lab. She shares her inquisitive and sustainable vision for the future of food.

‘From day one, I would say Space10 has been experimenting in terms of how we envisage food and how we could make it more sustainable in the future,’ Bachlakova explains. ‘We've taken many different routes, everything from re-imagining Ikea's iconic meatballs to building algae domes in the middle of cities.’

Recognising that its followers wanted a more future-facing approach to food solutions, Space10 has created Future Food Today, a recipe book to help people eat better both for society and the planet. ‘The recipes are all – we think – holistic in terms of the relationship between our eco-systems and how we eat. The aim is to make it easier to eat sustainably, but we also wanted to rekindle the joy of cooking healthy food together with your friends and family.’

The book also encourages people to explore the more unpalatable questions or future scenarios the world may face when it comes to shifting food supply chains. ‘We’re seeing a lot of worrying but accurate depictions of what will happen if we don't change our behaviour, but we’re not necessarily seeing a lot of collective solution brainstorming,’ notes Bachlakova.